India clinch series with ease
Sachin’s ‘near-ton’ sets up six-wicket victoryGwalior, November 15
India’s wait for a one-day series triumph over Pakistan on home soil ended tonight after 24 long years as they defeated their arch-rivals by six wickets to take an invincible 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

India get series, Sachin fails to get ton: India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the fourth one-dayer at Gwalior on Thursday
to claim the five-match series. Sachin Tendulkar led the run chase with a knock of 97. This was the sixth time he was dismissed in the nineties
in ODIs this year. — AFP photo

Squad retained for final ODI
Gwalior, November 15
Rahul Dravid will continue to remain on the sidelines with the national selectors today deciding to retain the 15-member Indian squad for the fifth and final one-dayer against Pakistan in Jaipur on Sunday.

Greater Noida to have F1 track
F1 strikes Rs 1500 cr deal with Indian co
New Delhi, November 15
Country's hopes to host a formula one Grand Prix in 2010 took a concrete shape with F1 bosses striking a Rs 1500 crore deal with an Indian company to construct the race track in Greater Noida.

Double delight for Karun Chandok
Barcelona, November 15
Karun Chandok's formula one test debut was reason for a double delight for the rookie driver, who not only shared the track with the iconic Michael Schumacher but also got a pat on his back from the Red Bull Racing team.

Gilly awestruck by Indian young turks
Melbourne, November 15
Awestruck by the young trailblazers in the Indian one-day team, Australia's 'Greatest ODI Cricketer' Adam Gilchrist said power-hitters in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side have redefined the game with their amazing strokeplay.

Warne, Murali patch up
Melbourne, November 15
After a shrill war of words in which Muttiah Muralitharan called Shane Warne a “miserable man”, the two spin wizards today patched up at the unveiling ceremony of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, describing the entire episode a case of “miscommunication”.

Tennis Series
Pak take 1-0 lead
Islamabad, November 15
After conceding the first leg, Pakistani players retaliated by getting the better of the Indian pair of Ashutosh Singh and Vivek Shokeen in the doubles match to take a 1-0 lead in the second leg of the tennis series here today.

Ranji Round-up
Dravid hits ton
Bangalore, November 15
A sparkling century by former Indian captain Rahul Dravid (121) and his 131-run partnership with opener KB Pawan (56) enabled Karnataka to score 271 for four in their Ranji Trophy Elite group match against Himachal Pradesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here today.

Manohar props up Hyderabad
Mohali, November 15
The absence of key bowlers and the resultant seam attack that did not inspire much confidence, a couple of dropped catches, besides resolute batting by opener Daniel Manohar.

PCA honours Dharmani
Mohali, November 15
Pankaj Dharmani, who became the highest scorer for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy in the first Ranji match of the season against Andhra Pradesh early this week, was honoured by the PCA here today.

GND varsity win handball titles
Amritsar, November 15
Hosts Guru Nanak Dev University won the All-India Inter-University Men and Women’s Handball Championship which concluded at the university sports complex here today.

Like Tendulkar, Mohammad Yousuf also missed a hundred as he was left stranded on an unbeaten 99. — Reuters
photo

Gwalior, November 15
India’s wait for a one-day series triumph over Pakistan on home soil ended tonight after 24 long years as they defeated their arch-rivals by six wickets to take an invincible 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Chasing a competitive 256 for victory, the Indians overhauled the target comfortably with 21 balls to spare in a floodlit encounter which saw Sachin Tendulkar (97) missing an ODI century for the sixth time this year.

The jinx of the 42nd century continued to haunt the master batsman who laid the foundation for the run chase but again fell agonisingly short of the three-figure mark.

It was a commanding display by the hosts who not only bowled well to restrict Pakistan to 255 for 6 but also chased the target without much fuss at the fully packed Capt Roop Singh Stadium.

While Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag (43) put the Indians on track with a 67-run third run partnership, the in-form Yuvraj Singh (53 n.o.) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45 n.o.) steered the team home.

Dhoni hit Salman Butt for a six to score the winning runs that triggering scenes of wild celebrations in the galleries as well as the dressing room.

It was India’s first ODI series win on home soil against the traditional rivals in 24 years, the last triumph coming under Kapil Dev’s captaincy in 1983.

The fifth and final match at Jaipur on Sunday has now been rendered inconsequential.

If Tendulkar went through the frustration for missing his ton by a whisker, Mohammad Yousuf was also left stranded on an unbeaten 99 in the Pakistan innings, which also had notable contributions from Younis Khan (68) and Misbah-ul-Haq (40).

The convincing victory also marked new captain Dhoni’s first ODI series triumph, barely two months after the euphoric Twenty20 World Cup triumph.

Yousuf, who hit seven fours and two sixes, was also involved in a 90-run stand with Misbah after captain Shoaib Malik elected to bat in the day-night clash.

Dropped by Ganguly, the experienced batsman made the most of the opportunity and helped Pakistan blast 77 runs in the last 10 overs.

Pakistan, were jolted by RP Singh who trapped Salman Butt, the century maker in previous match, for duck in the second ball of the innings.

Gwalior, November 15
Zaheer Khan became the fifth Indian bowler to claim 200 ODI wickets when he dismissed Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik in the fourth one-dayer here today.

Zaheer cleaned up Malik in the 20th over to break the 78-run second-wicket stand between the Pakistan captain and his deputy Younis Khan.

He later claimed another wicket (that of Sohail Tanvir) to take his tally to 201. Zaheer is now behind Anil Kumble (337 wickets from 271 matches), Javagal Srinath (315 in 229 games), Ajit Agarkar (288 in 191) and Kapil Dev (253 in 225).

He is the 29th bowler in the world to have achieved the feat.

Meanwhile, former captain Sourav Ganguly today captured his 100th ODI wicket when he dismissed Shahid Afridi in his 311th match.

Ganguly is the 12th Indian and 89th in the world to have claimed 100 ODI wickets.

He also became the third cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya to complete the double of 10,000 runs and 100 wickets in one-dayers.
— UNI

Gwalior, November 15
Rahul Dravid will continue to remain on the sidelines with the national selectors today deciding to retain the 15-member Indian squad for the fifth and final one-dayer against Pakistan in Jaipur on Sunday.

Dravid was omitted from the squad for the first two matches against Pakistan after his insipid show in the home series against Australia.

He found himself out of favour again when the team for the third and fourth one-dayers were picked, leaving him with the Jaipur match as his last hope for a comeback in the ongoing series.

But with the selectors ignoring him for the third time, Dravid ended up missing the entire series against Pakistan.

New Delhi, November 15
Country's hopes to host a formula one Grand Prix in 2010 took a concrete shape with F1 bosses striking a Rs 1500 crore deal with an Indian company to construct the race track in Greater Noida.

Chairman of JP Associates Manoj Gaur confirmed that F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had signed a 10-year contract with the company to build the track in Greater Noida and expressed confidence that Formula One would grow in leaps and bounds in the coming years.

"India is growing at the rate of 10 per cent. Accordingly, leisure and sports interests are bound to grow. We are very excited and fortunate that we would cater to the interest through this unique opportunity," Gaur told PTI.

"We hope that like Twenty20 cricket, the popularity of formula one would also be boundless," he said.

The Indian Olympic Association had been instrumental behind inviting Formula One to India and two sites on the outskirts of the capital had been okayed for the purpose.

Later, famous track architect Hermann Tilke visited the sites and submitted a report to Ecclestone.

Since Narain Karthikeyan became the first Indian driver in the formula one in 2005 when he joined Jordan, India's presence in the F1 pit grew with liquor baron Vijay Mallya jointly acquiring the Spyker team and renamed it Force India.

This week, rookie driver Karun Chandok also made his debut at F1 test for Red Bull Racing.
— PTI

Barcelona, November 15
Karun Chandok's formula one test debut was reason for a double delight for the rookie driver, who not only shared the track with the iconic Michael Schumacher but also got a pat on his back from the Red Bull Racing team.

The Chennai youngster got the opportunity to test alongside Red Bull driver David Coulthard during the three-day test session at the Catalunya Circuit, where Schumacher also made a comeback of sorts from his retirement to test for Ferrari.

"I had an exciting time over these past two days and I am pleased that the team was satisfied with the technical feedback I provided them.

"For me it has been a dream come true to be out on track with the likes of Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard.

David has been very open and approachable which was a great help," a beaming Chandok said.

And with the Red Bull team praising him for his show behind the wheel, Chandok had another reason to celebrate.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Honer showered praise on the Indian and said, "Following two days of testing in the RB3 in Barcelona the team has been pleased with the job that Chandok has done.

"He contributed significantly to our winter development programme. Our regular test driver was unavailable for this test session due to another commitment and Chandok was an obvious choice to stand in for him, given the potential shown in GP2 this year, when he won a race at Spa.

"On top of that, he has been a member of the Red Bull family for a couple of years now and so we were very happy to provide him with this opportunity to make his Formula 1 test debut," he said.

Chandok worked on the 2008 electrical systems, while Coulthard evaluated various mechanical and aero components aimed at next season.

While, Coulthard continues testing, Chandok's cockpit will be taken over by Robert Doornbos.

Recalling his experience, Chandok said, "Although it is a big event having a first drive in a Formula 1 car, I had so much work to do that I did not have time to sit and think about what an important thing this was for me.
— PTI

Melbourne, November 15
Awestruck by the young trailblazers in the Indian one-day team, Australia's 'Greatest ODI Cricketer' Adam Gilchrist said power-hitters in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side have redefined the game with their amazing strokeplay.

Without naming any particular player, Gilchrist said he was stunned by some of the shots played by the Indian youngsters during the Twenty20 World Cup and the seven-ODI series last month.

"Some of the things I saw in India, some of the shots their young players are playing and the power in the game at that Twenty20 tournament was amazing," he was quoted as saying by the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

Gilchrist said after looking at the Indian youngsters, he began to wonder whether his days as a power-hitter were all but over.

"I definitely feel like I have still got a role to play and still can be very much a feature in one-day cricket, but it's a bit different. There may have been a time when I was a trailblazer, (but) I think it has surpassed me now. I'm not saying I'm redundant, it's just the way the game is evolving, and it's exciting," he explained.

The wicket-keeper batsman, who was voted Australia's greatest one-day cricketer by his fellow players, said the changing face of the game was making it tough for him to keep pace.

"The way the guys are hitting them these days, I don't feel like I'm keeping up," Gilchrist, who turned 36 yesterday, said.

The affable stumper felt Steve Waugh's decision to promote him as an opener was the turning point of his career and helped him create a niche for himself.

"It enabled me to forge my identity at the top of the order and contribute more than just an average of 25 in the middle order and keeping," he said.

Asked whom he voted for in the poll for selecting Australia's ODI great, Gilchrist said he opted for his current skipper Ricky Ponting for his brilliant leadership of the team.

"There were a couple of times when I had little runs of outs and didn't feel like I was contributing as well as I wanted to."

"Other times I've had great loyalty from Ricky. The captains I've had have continued to encourage me and almost laugh at me if I've even hinted that perhaps I'm better moving down," he said.
— PTI

Melbourne, November 15
After a shrill war of words in which Muttiah Muralitharan called Shane Warne a “miserable man”, the two spin wizards today patched up at the unveiling ceremony of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, describing the entire episode a case of “miscommunication”.

The controversy started after Warne, in his column for a newspaper, suggested that Muralitharan’s action be tested in match conditions, which infuriated the Sri Lankan.

Muralitharan hit back saying that the Australian leg-spinner was “a miserable man” and threatened to snub the Warne during the trophy unveiling ceremony.

“Maybe he just doesn’t want me to pass his record. Why else would he keep saying these things? I will shake his hand (at the ceremony to unveil the trophy) and go straight off the field instead of trying to be friendly,” he had said.

However, the two laughed off the controversy at the function in Hobart today, saying that it was nothing more than a misunderstanding.

“There is no issue at all. I thought he said something about my bowling action and then I said he was a miserable man,” Muralitharan was quoted as saying by The Melbourne Herald Sun.

“We just talked to each other and patched it up. It was a miscommunication more than anything else,” he added, seeking to put an end to the controversy.

Warne also clarified that he did not mean to target Muralitharan and his comment was a general suggestion, which should be considered to avoid controversies.

“I spoke to Murali about it this morning so I’m pretty happy actually, I’m not that miserable. I’ve got absolutely no issue with Murali and his action or anything like that,” he said.

“All I’ve said in my column that I wrote was that common sense should prevail. If umpires or anybody has any issue with actions, I’m not saying Murali’s but anyone’s in world cricket, then they should be tested in match conditions,” he added.

Warne made it clear that he was not bothered by the prospect of being overtaken as the highest Test wicket-taker by Muralitharan, who is just seven shy of reaching 709 scalps.
— PTI

Islamabad, November 15
After conceding the first leg, Pakistani players retaliated by getting the better of the Indian pair of Ashutosh Singh and Vivek Shokeen in the doubles match to take a 1-0 lead in the second leg of the tennis series here today.

The Pakistani duo of
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan defeated the Indian pair 7-5, 7-6 in the claycourt match.

As the players were exhausted after playing the doubles, the Pakistan Tennis Federation rescheduled the matches and now both singles matches will be played tomorrow.

The Indian duo have a tough task ahead as they have to win both matches to claim the series.

The first leg in Lahore, which India clinched 2-1, was played on grass.
— PTI

Bangalore, November 15
A sparkling century by former Indian captain Rahul Dravid (121) and his 131-run partnership with opener KB Pawan (56) enabled Karnataka to score 271 for four in their Ranji Trophy Elite group match against Himachal Pradesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here today.

Yere Goud (8) and VS Thilak Naidu (3) were at the crease at close of play on the first day.

Dravid followed up his double ton against Mumbai last week with a brilliant century. Playing at his usual number three slot, Dravid slammed four sixes and 12 boundaries off 180 deliveries in his 251-minute stay.

Jamshedpur: Half-centuries by opener Vishal Sahni (58) and middle-order batsman S Viswanathan (60) helped Haryana reach 228 for seven against Jharkhand on the first day of their Plate group Ranji Trophy tie at the Keenan Stadium here on Thursday.

Haryana skipper Amit Mishra chose to bat after winning the toss on a placid wicket. Openers Sahni and Mithun Beerala (20) gave a decent start of 33 runs before home team pacer S S Rao trapped Beerala lbw.

Sahni added 56 runs for the fourth wicket with Viswanathan before becoming Rao’s second victim. Viswanathan was unfortunate to be run out after scoring a solid 60, which included seven hit to the fence.

Twenty20 World Cup star Joginder Sharma could not play a big innings and was dismissed by Shahwaz Nadeem for 29. Rao took two for 48, while Nadeem bagged two scalps for 44 runs.

Ian steadies J&K

Jammu: A century by youngster Ian Dev Singh rescued Jammu and Kashmir as the hosts reached at 230 for five against Madhya Pradesh when play ended due to bad light on the first day of the Ranji Trophy Plate group match here on Thursday.

Ian scored 104 runs off 175 deliveries with 17 hits to the fence.

Vice-captain Majid Dar remained unbeaten on 62. Shantanu Pitre was the most successful bowler with figures of 2-45.
— UNI

Hyderabad’s Daniel Manohar plays a shot on the first day of the Elite Group Ranji Trophy match against Punjab at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
— Tribune photo by Vicky Gharu

Mohali, November 15
The absence of key bowlers and the resultant seam attack that did not inspire much confidence, a couple of dropped catches, besides resolute batting by opener Daniel Manohar.

These were the factors that combined to put hosts Punjab on the mat before they were unexpectedly rescued by the slow bowlers in their second Elite Group Ranji Trophy league match against Hyderabad at the PCA Stadium here today.

At draw of stumps, Punjab had clawed their way back into the contest as Hyderabad, riding on 119 by Manohar, finished Day One of the four-day contest at 310 for 7.

Injury to key bowlers Gagandeep Singh and VRV Singh meant Punjab had no option but to go into the match with a new-look seam attack. Dropped catches — one each off Manpreet Goni, Amanpreet Singh and Ankur Kakkar — further set the hosts back.

Hit hard by the exodus of players, including regular seamers like Luv Ablish and Amit Uniyal, to the Indian Cricket League, the Punjab seam attack did not look as potent. Ablish was Punjab’s key performer during the past two years.

Veteran opener Manohar, after seeing off the threat of the new ball and the conducive morning conditions, stayed put at the wicket. He found a willing ally in fellow opener Ravi Teja, who also scored an impressive 55 before skipper VVS Laxman took charge as Hyderabad were in the cruise mode.

They were going strong at 203 for one at one stage with Manohar and the stylish Laxman going great guns. A long and dreary march for the hosts looked on the cards before the script took a dramatic turn for the hosts.

Twin strikes by left-arm bowler Ankur Kakkar, who sent back Laxman and S Pai, rekindled Punjab’s hopes. Laxman was batting on 38 and looked good for a big knock, having struck eight silken fours.

The hosts were back into the game after part-time off-spinner Karan Goel had Manohar edging behind the stumps to depart after scoring fine 119.

Debutant seamer Birinder taking his first wicket, castling Arjun Yadav. Kakkar emerged as the best bowler of the day, finishing with a three-wicket haul.

Mohali, November 15
Pankaj Dharmani, who became the highest scorer for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy in the first Ranji match of the season against Andhra Pradesh early this week, was honoured by the PCA here today.

The Punjab skipper and the mainstay of Punjab batting for well over a decade now has a tally of 6,297 runs in the national championship, overtaking former opening batsman Vikram Rathore as the highest Ranji scorer for the state.

Dharmani was awarded a silver salver and a check for Rs 1 lakh by MP Pandove, honorary secretary of the PCA, during the lunch break in the match against Hyderabad today.

Lauding Dharmani’s services as a batsman and a skipper, Pandove expected that the Patiala player would continue to bat in the same vein for the benefit of the Punjab team.